VERO BEACH, Fla. – The Dodgers knew exactly what they were getting in their new third-base coach, Larry Bowa, and the famously fiery Bowa knew exactly what he was getting in the Dodgers.

On Thursday, he got it in triplicate.

Fortunately, Bowa determined that the team’s Grapefruit League opener wasn’t the proper place for his particular brand of tough love.

“These first 10 games, guys are just going to be getting the cobwebs out,” Bowa said.

“It’s the first time they have done all this at game speed. I look at the first 10 games as a chance to sit back and watch and see what happens. Right now, it’s calm and cool. But if it happens on a regular basis after these first 10 games, it won’t be calm and cool.”

Three times during the game – a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves before 4,440 at Holman Stadium – the Dodgers committed glaring baserunning gaffes, a sobering reminder of something that became a major Achilles’ heel for this team in 2007.

Matt Kemp, who was a never-ending adventure on the basepaths last season, did a good job of going from first to third on a second-inning single by Mark Sweeney – except for the fact that third base was already occupied by James Loney after Bowa gave Loney the stop sign.

“Going first-to-third is something we have been stressing since the start of spring training,” manager Joe Torre said.

As a perfect capper to the chilly afternoon, Repko raced all the way home from first to score on Lindsey’s walk-off, bases-loaded single in the ninth inning. Apparently, Repko didn’t realize Andre Ethier had just scored the winning run ahead of him.

“I tried to give him a high five, and he went right by me,” Bowa said.

All the mistakes were fairly simple and easily corrected.

“It was addressed (immediately),” Bowa said. “You don’t undress a guy over it, but Joe did bring it up.”

Added Torre, “I don’t have a problem with that stuff in spring training. There is a learning curve right now.”

Bowa has lectured extensively this spring on the principles of baserunning, something that is especially important given the number of young players the Dodgers have.

General manager Ned Colletti briefed Torre and the new coaching staff on several issues over the winter, and the Dodgers’ baserunning savvy, or lack thereof, was prominent in those discussions.

“There were areas we knew coming in we would have to work on,” Bowa said. “We weren’t blindsided by this.”

SECOND COMING

Delwyn Young, slated to be the Dodgers’ fifth outfielder, played the final six innings at second base and, for the most part, looked like a natural.

He made one lunging play to his right to take away a base hit and never came close to making a miscue.

Young also has begun taking grounders at third and might appear in a game there soon.

If Young, who was a second baseman before moving to the outfield a couple of springs ago, can master second and third, the Dodgers might not need to keep another utility infielder.

“We want to get a feel for his ability to do a lot of things because he has no (minor league) options left,” Torre said of Young.

“Versatility is important with him, especially with all the outfielders we have.”